Hypertension and quality of life among Afghan type-2 diabetic patients: A cross-sectional study

Background: The main objectives of this study were to study the prevalence and associated factors of hypertension and quality of life among DM outpatients in the Herat province of Afghanistan. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 351 diabetic hospitalized patients were studied between January–June 2024. Health-related quality of life among diabetic patients was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF-26) questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and multiple regression analysis. A two-tailed p-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The majority of patients were aged ³50 years (59.3%), females (61.5%), illiterate (64.7%), and having low income (74.9%). Among these patients, 63.0% were overweight/obese and 51.0% experienced a significant negative event in the past month. The prevalence of hypertension among DM patients was 62.4%. Statistically significant factors associations with hypertension among DM patients were having >5 children, having low economic status, being overweight/obese, and experiencing a negative event in the past month. Regarding the quality of life domains, 80.3%, 59.8%, 27.4%, and 53.8% of the study participants demonstrated low quality of life in the physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains, respectively. Conclusion: The high prevalence of hypertension and poor quality of life among diabetic patients in Herat highlight the urgent need for integrated management strategies that address both blood pressure control and psychosocial well-being. Strengthening hospital-based screening, improving access to antihypertensive treatment, and implementing targeted interventions to improve quality of life could reduce the burden of diabetes-related complications in this population.